Life goes on for Handa rangers as Scottish Wildlife Trust deals with another season on remote seabird colony off Sutherland's west coast
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IT is a job strictly for the birds. A man and a woman are helping look after one of Scotland’s remotest seabird colonies on a tiny island.
Handa Island lies a few miles off the west coast of Sutherland. It is owned by Scourie Estate and managed as wildlife reserve in partnership with the Scottish Wildlife Trust.
There have been no full-time inhabitants since 1848 but during the summer Handa attracts many tens of thousands of birds including guillemots, kittiwakes and fulmars.
The island is also home to smaller populations of important seabirds like Arctic skuas and puffins. Mammals including dolphins, whales and seals are often seen from its coast.
The Trust has appointed rangers Erika Faggiani from Spain and Johnny Rolt from Bristol to monitor the birdlife and live on Handa.
The pair looked after the island last season too.
Last year they were joined by assistant ranger Roxana Buhus from Romania, who is not returning this season.
They will undertake a range of tasks including breeding bird surveys and practical conservation work.
Because of the pandemic there will be no need to recruit scores of short-term volunteers, who are normally needed to oversee members of the public who take the passenger ferry to the island.
Instead the trust will have a team of four assistant rangers – and this year will not help the public.
"Each volunteer will lead on a specialist area of our work, but will also be expected to participate in all aspects of the work on the island on a rota basis during this 22-week residential placement," said the advert placed in December, with a deadline of last month.
"Placements on Handa are widely recognised as important field experience and provide the successful applicant with valuable experience and networking opportunities with the Trust, the RSPB and with several seabird researchers and academics.
The Trust adds:"With nearly 100,000 breeding seabirds, gorgeous white sandy beaches, 120 metre high cliffs and spectacular vistas, Handa really has something for everyone.
"Enjoying it for a day as a tourist is special, but to stay on Handa as a volunteer is an unforgettable and magical experience.
"A superb team of volunteers and staff means that there is always a friendly face and good banter at the bothy, but there are also many undisturbed, tranquil spots for relaxing amid stunning views and abundant wildlife.
"Sadly weekly volunteering is not possible this season, due to the need to keep our team safe during the Covid-19 pandemic."
Uninhabited Handa is also home to Britain's remotest and most expensive public toilet!
You cannot easily skip to the loo – or the shops or pub for that matter – on Handa, three miles off the northwest coast of Sutherland.
But, in normal years, more than 7000 plus visitors flock to the remote isle every summer and have been in growing numbers because it is on the booming North Coast 500 road route.
Eight years ago Handa had a £50,000 comfort stop installed to keep up with the tourist boom.
The Handa eco loo is turf-roofed and made of steel.
It took a team of five men, six days to build on an island so difficult to reach it needed two landing craft, making several attempts, to land the specially designed materials on shore.
Positioned on a hill overlooking a beach, the foundations are seven feet deep to stop it being blown into the Atlantic by regular gale-force winds, while the only prying eyes are from the seals and otters who live nearby.
Following completion in 2012, intrepid birdwatchers to one of Scotland's most spectacular wildlife reserves no longer had to cross their legs until they reached the mainland.
And from the loo you can see lots of iconic mountains like Suilven, Foinaven and Ben Mor Coigach as well as seals and otters on the nearby beach.
On the island's busiest days it can receive up to 150 visitors.
But this season SWT stress that the Handa visitor shelter and toilets remain closed.
“While there are a small number of staff on the island focusing on essential conservation duties, they will not able to provide briefings or support to visitors this season,” it says.
In the 19th century, Handa was recorded as having a population of around 65 people. The islanders had a parliament, similar to that of St Kilda, which met daily, and a female-centric society where the oldest widow on the island was considered its 'Queen.'
But despite a healthy diet of oats, fish and seabirds, the remaining islanders decided to abandon their homes for the mainland 171 years ago as a result of the potato famine.
